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Election Day 2008 (UPDATE 33: OBAMA NOW AHEAD IN NC)

*This post will be updated often throughout the day, with the most recent updates appearing at the top of the post. Newer posts will appear below this one.*

Update 34 – 12:04 AM: I think NC is going to go for BO after all.

Fox showed a shot earlier of liberals demonstrating in front of the WH. You stay classy, far lefties.

Update 33 – 11:38 PM: With 95% reporting, Obama is now ahead again in NC by about 30K votes.

Update 32 – 10:45 PM: VA was just called for BO. Looks like Murtha will hold on to his seat. Franken’s barely in the lead right now in the MN Senate race. I can’t understand how in the hell that seat would go Democrat considering Franken’s past, but then again I didn’t think Obama would have the night he is, either. This is a strange America we’re living in right now.

Update 30 – 10:06 PM: There’s a difference of less than 16K votes in NC now (74% reporting). Looks like we’ll be stuck with a Dem governor again. Sigh.

Also, how important was race in this election? Byron York has some interesting stats.

Update 29 – 10:00 PM: Fox calls UT, TX for Mc. IA for BO. Wicker holds on to his Senate seat in MS, which makes the Dem supermajority in the Senate much harder now. Scratch that – Fox is now saying they are not calling the Wicker seat yet.

Update 28 – 9:55 PM: There are 35K votes now between BO and Mc in NC with 65% reporting. Obama now leads in VA by 10K with 82% reporting. Florida we’re still down by 140K with 64% reporting.

Update 27 – 9:35 PM: The gap has narrowed to 65K votes in NC (52% reporting). The only reason I am still up at this point is to find out what happens in NC, VA (8K vote difference – 73% reporting), and FL (180K difference – 59% reporting). NC in particular. If this state goes blue, I will officially be going to bed in tears.

Update 26 – 9:18 PM: Fox just projected OH for Obama. Losing OH and not being able to pick up PA is not good at all. This is shaping up to be a bad night for Mc and the GOP. No Republican has won the WH without winning OH.

The Dems have picked up another Senate seat, this one in NM (Udall).

Update 25 – 9:14 PM: The race is majorly tightening in VA. There is a 30K vote difference betwen Mc and Bo, with 64% reporting.

Update 24 – 9:06 PM: About 130K vote difference in NC now

Senator Roberts holds on to his seat in KS. That’s three Republican Senate holds. Jeff Sessions holds on in AL as does Thad Cochran in MS. That’s five holds – but the ones I just mentioned weren’t competitive.

Update 23 – 8:56 PM – 9:00 PM: The vote difference between Mc and Obama is now down to around 90K in NC, with 21% reporting. Oh please, please say this is the beginning of a trend that will eventually favor Mc in this state! Mc is still holding on in VA, ahead 70K votes with 51% reporting.

Fox has called WI and NM for BO. ND for Mc. NM is a pick up for the Dems (Bush barely won there in 2004). MN for BO. NY – BO. RI – BO. MI – BO. WY, KS – Mc.

Update 22 – 8:39 PM: Fox projects GA for Mc, and are saying that Chambliss will hold on to his Senate seat. That’s two holds for Republicans.

Update 21 – 8:30 PM: Fox is now calling PA for BO as well.

I’m getting really worried about NC. Only 9% reporting, but BO is up by 140K votes. In FL, Mc is down 230K votes with 36% reporting. The panhandle part of the state has the most votes left to count, and that is an area that is usually friendly to Republicans. We’ll see.

They’re also calling NC’s hotly contested Senate race between Dem Kay Hagen and incumbent R. Liddy Dole for Hagen. Not good. I figured this would happen. It’s been close for a while now, and the recent “Godless” ad run by the Dole campaign turned off a lot of people. That seat has been in Republican hands forever. That’s a big loss for the GOP.

Meant to also note earlier that TN had been called for Mc.

Update 19 – 8:03 PM: Hot Air’s AllahPundit reports that MSDNC has already called PA for Obama. So has ABC. Apparently the exits were pretty bad. This is not good news.

Update 18 – 8:00 PM: Several polls are now closed. The ones to watch PA and FL.

Update 14 – 7:06 PM: Major Garrett reports on Fox that the Obama campaign is not as optimistic this evening about winning NC as they once were, and they are saying the black turnout in NC may not be as high as it had initially been predicted. Hmm.

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Secretary of State has launched a full investigation and may seek criminal charges against three Georgia men who appear to have early-voted twice.

“This is extraordinarily disturbing,” said Secretary of State Karen Handel.

A team of investigative journalists from WSB-TV in Atlanta, WFTV in Orlando and WFTS in Tampa and WCPO in Cincinnati compared Georgia’s voter rolls with those in Florida and Ohio and found more than 100,000 people who appear to be registered to vote in more than one state, with no government oversight to catch it.

And the ModBee reports on two pre-marked (for Obama) Spanish language ballots found at a precinct in Oakdale, CA.

Update 8 – 5:56 PM: Drudge has a new headline up with no link that reads “EXIT POLLS SHOW OBAMA BIG” and Obama supposedly up 15 in PA exit polling. Ok – data, please?? **reminds self to keep in mind exit polling was off in 2004**

Another reminder, to all: Please don’t let exit polling keep you from voting.

Update 7 – 5:42 PM: Drudge is reporting that the first wave of exits have been released, but I can’t find the info on them yet. Mini-Update:Just found ‘em. They’re reporting that things look closer than they did in the national polling done in several states prior to the election. Here’s a graphic they have posted:

Jim Geraghty rightly suggests that no one on the right “get cocky” over these results, but if they numbers aren’t wildly off, we may be in for a later night than we thought.

Update 6 – 2:13 PM: MM now has video of the Black Panther intimidation that went on at one polling place in Philly this morning. Election Journal has much more about what’s going on in and around some Philly polling places. Is Philly the PA equivalent of Chi-town, IL?

Guess who also voted this morning at the same polling place, just minutes before Barry O? Bill Ayers. Friend-of-Rev.-Wright Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan also voted at that polling place this morning.

Update 1 – 8:52 AM:Jim Geraghty and Rasmussen both have posted timely reminders on why it’s not good to rely 100% on what you hear from the early exit poll results that usually come out a few hours before the first polls close.

The polling is over, the ads have run, the debates are over, and all the speeches and arguments have been made. Now it’s time for America to decide who they want in the WH, Congress, their city, county, and state legislatures, what judges they want on the bench (on local levels), and what ballot measures should pass. Already voters in the 32 states that have early voting have been lining up in record numbers to make their voices heard. Here in North Carolina, 41% of registered voters have already voted. To view more early voting stats, click here.

Real Clear Politics will soon have links to pundit predictions, and I doubt you’ll find too many who are predicting a McCain victory tonight. Some pundits have even suggested that Republicans should look down the ticket for possible good news. For example, NC may – may – see a Republican governor for the first time since the mid-80s. That said, anything can happen – so make sure you stay tuned as the election results come in, and try not to put too much stock in the early exit polls, as the McCain campaign explains here.

Here’s a map of poll closing times. Remember that Florida and Indiana both are in two different time zones so the results from those states won’t start coming in until after the polls close in the central time zone areas. (Early Evening Update: Add Kentucky to this list, and also a slight correction: The nets will start displaying the results but they won’t project a state until after it closes. My bad.)

Polls opened here in NC at 6:30 and will be open until 7:30. I’ve watched the local news this morning and they’re reporting in some areas of Charlotte that people started lining up at 5:00 a.m. The weather forecast calls for rain in some parts of central to Eastern NC today.

Did you vote already today? If so, what were the lines like? Dixville Notch, NH – always the “first in the nation” to vote, has cast the majority of their 21 votes for Barack Obama. This article notes that Dixville Notch and nearby Hart’s Location (where Obama won 17-10), are not known for always being accurate predictors of who wins the presidency. Let’s hope and pray that holds true today.

Any predictions? Please post them in the comments section.

A little humor to get your day started: File this one under “you know it’s getting bad when”:

HELENA – Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Brown this week accused Democrats of spreading a false rumor that he is a vegetarian in this meat-loving state.

“I am not and have never been a vegetarian,” Brown said.

“I am disgusted by the baseless allegation that I am a vegetarian and that my personal eating habits should somehow be construed as opposed to the economic interests of Montana’s livestock industry.”

Brown did say that he and his family temporarily cut back on their consumption of meat and dairy products 25 years ago when they were caring for a dying loved one who couldn’t eat those products.

“It was the least we could do to make the life of a loved one more comfortable at a very difficult time,” he said.

Brown was responding to an undated e-mail sent by his Billings neighbor, Pat Etchart, to Dennis McDonald, chairman of the Montana Democratic Party and a Melville cattle rancher.

McDonald, in turn, forwarded Etchart’s e-mail to some cattle ranchers Friday and asked: “What do you make of this?”

The letter also has been send to agricultural publications and blogs.

In the e-mail, Etchart said that when the Browns moved next door in Billings, Roy Brown invited her husband and her to their house to get acquainted.

“In the course of conversation, he told us that he and his wife are vegetarians,” Etchart wrote. “At the time, I thought nothing of it, but as Roy now makes the rounds and campaigns for governor, I have a concern. Would it not be a problem, in a state where cattle ranching is such a vital industry, to have a governor who does not eat meat?

“What caused me to think about this is that I told my brother-in-law, a rancher who usually votes Republican, about it. And he said that he could never vote for a vegetarian, because it’s against his economic interest.”

LOL.

I’ll update this post as I can throughout the day, and start a fresh one tonight for results as they come in.

31 thoughts on “Election Day 2008 (UPDATE 33: OBAMA NOW AHEAD IN NC)”

Alright here it goes. I have been staying away lately for fear that I wont be able to sleep this week after being all worked up about this election. These past 3 months I think have been the hardest emotionally for me. I have had to watch my tounge at work and that hasnt been an easy feat. okay Im going to offer a prayer right now for all of those who would like to join…

Dear God… PLEASE, PLEASE DONT LET THAT MOTHER TRUCKER OBAMA WIN THE ELECTION TODAY.
HE HAS EVERYTHING BUT THE HORNS.

Ok I said my peace. Ya’ll have a good day and no matter the outcome, Ill be here to tomorrow to complain or to celebrate!

I voted in East Lansing, MI, a college town (MSU), around 8:00a.m. There was about a 5 minute wait to vote. No one was waiting when I left. I suppose all the college kids voted early. They don’t get the day off from class.

It was meant only as tongue in cheek humor. This was the my first comment in quite some time after being a long time lurker. I came across your blog via LaShawm Barber’s blog a few years back, and was immediately drawn to you as another Thomas Sowell fan. Please accept my sincere apology and continue the fine work with your blog; it is truly a treat to read.
More on topic: I voted early this morning, long lines which I pray is a good sign for McCain/Palin.

Best,
Joseph (a Christian man of color, conservative in life and politics!)

I voted about 10 am in a very rural county in VA. Short lines. Took us about 15 minutes to get through and vote. They asked for IDs like they are supposed to. Heard a gaggle behind me talking about some email they’d sent each other about ‘socialism’ and mentioned how they wished they could chant “McCain” in the polling place. It was very very smooth in my part of the country.

I see the “We support the troops, but not the mission.” liberals are at it again this election, eh? The Pentagon brass send out ballots late, the troops get them late and can’t get them back on time, so they should be tossed out. The troops risk their lives for us 24/7. They ought not have to worry about Gore and Obama throwing their votes down a Democrat sewer drain any time the opportunity arises.

I voted at 12:45pm Central time. Here in Rock Island County, Illinois, there was little to no wait. We were pushed through fast by the election employees. But I had long enough to say my prayers and remember why I was there.

This years election, for me, was a vote for morals and not for the economy, to make history, or for change. I would rather live in a shack than overlook my morals and my convictions.

Continue to pray for our country and leaders and know that whatever is handed to us tomorrow, is still in God’s hands.

It may be worse. In Chicago, I haven’t heard of any active attempts to prevent people from voting who might not vote the way the local Dems want. They just wait till the votes are counted, then add in the votes of as many dead people as they need to get the result they want. In Philly, there’s been no respect for election law for years. It’s been getting progressively worse over the last decade or so, and now the local machine has moved to physical intimidation to suppress turnout. The only surprise is that it took them this long.

I walked in at the polls at 11:15. Walked out at literally 11:22. I was prepared for the wait. I guess people got out and voted early cause they were so excited. I saw a sign today a church today I passed coming home. It said that God would not give it to you unless he was going to be there to help you with it. That statement struck me odd on a day like today.
My prayer still stands from earlier this morning!

Be sure and read CNN’s take on the Black Panther at the polling site. It’s on their political ticker. It reads as follows:

(CNN) — A man wearing what appeared to be a black outfit with a beret and holding a nightstick was asked by police to leave a polling location in Philadelphia Tuesday, according to Philadelphia County Board of Elections Supervisor, Bill Rubin.

Notice anything missing?? There is not one mention of the Black Panther Party anywhere in the article. Keep it up CNN!! Report the “news” and truth be damned!!

Cathie Abookire, a spokewoman for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, says the office is not investigating the matter, calling it a “non-incident.” Abookire says, “We have had no complaints from any voters that they have been intimidated.”

Oh absolutely. I can only imagine the blood curdling howls from the left had 2 Klansmen been standing outside of a polling site in Alabama.

This is turning out to be one of the most terrifying years of our country’s history.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but did you see the girl on Fox News who was gleefully jumping up and down and exclaimed “This is so exciting!! If Obama wins I won’t have to put gas in my car or pay my mortgage anymore!!”

I just got back from our local GOP party after spending the day northern Virginia. It was a day like no other.

The Democrats have imported numbers of people from heaven knows where. The most ominous – or just weird – ones are this bunch that goes around wearing black shirts that say “Election Protection” on it. They stay separate from the (other) Democrats and present themselves to people as neutral observers “to ensure a fair election.” We quickly outed them as Obama people. In some places they tried to go inside the 40 foot limit and into the polling area wearing these shirts. This is illegal, as each party is only allowed a maximum of 3 observers inside (which the Dems already have) and anyway you are NOT allowed to wear any campaign buttons, shirts, or stickers inside the marked off area. I know for a fact of at least one instance in which they did try to go inside and were turned away by the election officials (who are on top of the situation).

We caught on and had our Precinct Captains monitor them to make sure they didn’t try and intimidate voters or get inside the voting area.

Sweetness and Light blog says that “the so-called Election Protection watchdog operation is just another front for Norman Lear’s America-hating People For The American Way.” Big surprise

In addition, the Democrats have deluged the area with a phalanx of lawyers. All decked out in suit and tie, I have seen 2 or 3 at the larger precincts. We have our lawyers, but they’re “on call” and we don’t have them present at every or even most precincts.

Now, I know many of the local Democrats, they are very nice people, and I am on friendly terms with all of them. But these imports were something else. They were cold and unfriendly.